Author Interview & Giveaway: Kate Breslin, author of High As the Heavens

Happy release day to Kate Breslin for her newest release, High As the Heavens! I just simply adore that cover and the beautiful title. I'm so thrill to have Kate here today on my blog for a little interview, AND a giveaway!! Woohoo!

1. Hi Kate! Welcome to Just Commonly! Happy Book Birthday! It was so nice to have met you last summer at the Christian Fiction Readers Retreat! Tell us a little about you.

Annie, thank you! I’m very glad to be here and appreciate you and your readers helping me to celebrate the launch of my third “baby,” High As The Heavens! Currently I hail from Washington state, near Seattle, where I live with my husband of 38 years and my sweet, but persnickety feline, Coco. We have a grown son and a grandson who live nearby. I’ve published poetry, travel articles for our local paper, and I’ve been novel writing for many years. Five years ago, after much persistence and surrendering to God’s direction, I finally contracted with Bethany House to publish my debut novel, For Such A Time. I enjoy daily walks, RV camping, and watching my rose garden grow. And in the evenings when I’m not reading or writing, I love to take control of the remote and watch my DVD collection of BBC favorites like Downton Abbey, Pride & Prejudice, Wives and Daughters, and I’m looking forward to Season 3 of Grantchester!

LOL. You are my kind of girl (except the camping part *wink wink)!!

2. What kind of books or subject matter do you like to write about?

I love writing about history and it seems, about stories set during wartime. I think the draw for me is learning about people who rise beyond themselves in a crisis, like war; doing heroic deeds or making sacrifices they might not otherwise make. They become larger than life, and I find that very inspirational for plotting my stories.

3. How about your upcoming release, High As The Heavens?

This story required months of research, and it was a challenge to write because of the circumstances my characters find themselves in at the novel’s beginning. My heroine, Eve, also struggles with a haunted past and her ability to forgive in a time when nothing seems forgivable. It was an emotional story to write, but a labor of love as well. I hope readers will enjoy it!

4. What was your inspiration? What made you think you had to write this story?

I enjoy the aspect of intrigue, and after writing about spies and touching on the fate of the infamous female spy, Mata Hari, in Not By Sight, I decided to explore more about the espionage of the Great War. I was led to read some amazing tales about ordinary people doing extraordinary work for the Allies behind enemy lines, and I felt compelled to share in part some of their story.

5. As you know, I'm a big fan of both For Such A Time and Not By Sight, what are some similarities or differences between them and High As The Heavens?

As far as similarities, each of my novels has a strong female protagonist and a wounded hero—either physically, emotionally, or both. I think that’s because I love the Beauty and The Beast romantic trope the best. As for differences, Grace Mabry in Not By Sight deals with her share of danger, but Hadassah in For Such A Time and Eve in High As The Heavens live among the enemy. The stakes feel much higher and the risks they take greater.

6. Which part of the book is your favorite? Can you share a line/paragraph (without a spoiler)?

High As The Heavens does contain a few surprises, so I’ll just say for now that I enjoyed writing the budding romance between my hero and heroine, and there are one or two “colorful” secondary characters that still make me smile. :-)

7. Character visits! Which book/story do you think would make a great connection for your characters if there's such a thing as book jumping?

Actually, one of my characters from Not By Sight is in High As The Heavens, and you’ll have to read to find out who. ;-) My next novel will also involve another character from Not By Sight. Beyond that...who knows? I have more stories in my head for several of them!

Are you kidding me??!!!! I'll need to find out now. I wonder if I'll figure it out or not?!

8. And which character of a book do you think would make a great "faraway best friend" to one of your characters?

Eve’s best friend, Madeleine Arthur, from High As The Heavens

9. I'm totally loving that cover. Was it similar to what you had envisioned when you first wrote the story?

My heroine, Eve, is a nurse by day, a waitress by night, and works as a spy. So, how to capture her on the cover? I had no real idea. I use a secret board on Pinterest to post various images of my novel’s “vision” and then share that with my editor and Bethany House’s graphic artists. I was so impressed with what they came up with! They hadn’t even read the story and yet captured Eve’s essence perfectly.

10. I'm not going to ask you to choose a favorite, but which of your books, including High As The Heavens, you can relate to the most, and in what way?

I think all of my books carry little a piece of me, it’s just part of an author’s writing process. Still, I’d probably choose Grace Mabry from Not By Sight as being the most similar to my personality type. She’s impassioned about her causes and always tries to be in charge! ;-D

11. Favorite drink?

I usually enjoy a glass of wine with dinner, red or white, depending on the meal. And red goes best with dark chocolate! ;-)

12. Favorite candy?

Coffee nips.

13. Favorite place you've visited?

I’ve been blessed to be able to visit many places, here and abroad, but Greece touched my soul. I’d love to go back and visit again one day.

14. Favorite place to write?

I have a library loft upstairs that looks out on our bay. Being surrounded by books and nature’s beauty is wonderfully inspiring!

15. Favorite story when you were a child?

I love reading the adventures of Henry Huggins and his dog, Ribsy, in the series written by Beverly Cleary. A few years after that, I became completely immersed in Nancy Drew mysteries!

16. And last, can you give us 5 random facts about you?

I met my husband while working in the Bahamas.

I rode a motorcycle for years.

I’m particular about my coffee cup, so hands off my favorite mug.

I’m left-handed.

I have a collection of Scottish weaponry covers one entire wall of my office.

Haha. Well, that last little tidbit is interesting. We don't want to "mess" with you for sure! *wink wink

Thank you, Kate for enduring my long list of questions and for all the fun facts about High As The Heavens and yourself! Happy (Book) Birthday!

Former bookseller-turned-author Kate Breslin enjoys life in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and family. A writer of travel articles and award-winning poetry, Kate received Christian Retailing's 2015 Best Award for First Time Author and her debut novel, For Such A Time, won the 2015 Carol award for Debut Novel. Kate's third novel, High As The Heavens, releases June, 2017. When she's not writing inspirational fiction, Kate enjoys reading or taking long walks in Washington's beautiful woodlands. She also likes traveling to new places, both within the U.S. and abroad, having toured Greece, Rome, and much of Western Europe. New destinations make for fresh story ideas. Please visit her at www.katebreslin.com.

In 1917, Evelyn Marche is just one of many women who has been widowed by the war. A British nurse trapped in German-occupied Brussels, she spends her days working at a hospital and her nights as a waitress in her aunt and uncle's café. Eve also has a carefully guarded secret keeping her in constant danger: She's a spy working for a Belgian resistance group in league with the British Secret Service.

When a British plane crashes in Brussels Park, Eve is the first to reach the downed plane and is shocked to discover she recognizes the badly injured pilot. British RFC Captain Simon Forrester is now a prisoner of war, and Eve knows he could be shot as a spy at any time. She risks her own life to hide him from the Germans, but as the danger mounts and the secrets between them grow, their chance of survival looks grim. And even if they do make it out alive, the truth of what lies between them may be more than any love can overcome.

TO PURCHASE A COPY

Kate has graciously offer one winner to win a paperback copy of High As the Heavens!

Hi Paula, thanks for your post! I've certainly become an espionage nerd! There are so many cool things secret agents did 100 years ago, people would be amazed. I hope to write more about them in the next book. :-)

All of your books look so great, Kate! I have heard great things about Not by Sight, and High as the Heavens looks good as well! :D I love WWI & WWII stories so this looks like the perfect book for me :)

I very much enjoyed reading Kate's books For Such a Time and Not By Sight. I got my book club to read For Such a Time; they liked it too. I'm glad there are more books now about World War I, like Not by Sight and High as the Heavens. It was such an interesting time that we don't hear as much about as World War II.

Hi Pam, thanks for your post and for supporting me through your book club! I'm glad to know more authors are exploring this era, too. I've read so many amazing diaries and other historical documents and found that many of the women's organizations and espionage groups we read about in WWII had their beginnings with the brave souls of the First World War. I hope you enjoy this new story as well!

Thanks for sharing. I love reading tidbits and trivia about authors. Your books sound very interesting. Would love to win, thanks for the giveaway.My husband and I love to RV camp, although you may not get to for a while. My mother had to move in with us and is not in physical shape to camp. We have a Greywolf class C. It's so relaxing to camp. My husband does the cooking and I get to read and crochet, my two favorite things (while I drink coffee). I love coffee nips too! Have you tried the M & M peanut coffee flavor? 😋 yummy!!

Gail, thanks for your post! I'm sorry you are homebound for awhile with your mom, but maybe you can find someone to stay with her so you can go for a weekend? We have a 5th wheel and enjoy it very much! I'll have to try those M&M nips, too. :-) I hope you enjoy reading High As The Heavens! (audiobook is also available, in case you want to crochet at the same time.) Blessings!

I'd love to read High as the Heavens. It looks and sounds fantastic! I haven't read any of your books yet, Kate, but I have them on my TBR list. I've heard so many wonderful things about them. Congrats on the new release!

Yay, Sonnetta, we lefties are in our "right minds" LOL! Yes, my very favorite is a mug I bought at the Empire State Building in NYC when I attended a writer's conference. I guard it carefully. ;-D Thanks so much for your support and I hope you enjoy reading High As The Heavens, too!

Hi Kate! I've been a fan ever since I read For Such A Time. Like you, I absolutely LOVE the Beauty and the Beast backdrops because it's realistic--everyone carries some sort of hurt but we all have the capacity for inner beauty. Excited to read your new book!

Elise, thank you for your kind words! I'm thrilled to know you've enjoyed my novels and I love your analogy about Beauty and The Beast. We all have the potential to see ourselves as God sees us, don't we? I hope you enjoy reading High As The Heavens!

Hi D.R. Thank you for stopping by. I'm not sure what you mean by website link to comment. This is the correct spot to comment for the giveaway. If I've missed something with the rafflecopter, please let me know and I'll fix it. Thank you!!!